Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 23 Mar 1994

Vol. 440 No. 5

Adjournment Debate. - Monasterevan (Kildare) Water Supply.

Mr. Dukes

I am grateful to you, Sir, for allowing me to raise this matter on the Adjournment. The water supply in the Kill and Gurteenoona areas of Monasterevan has been seriously deficient for many years. This has caused great inconvenience and distress for local residents. I will illustrate the difficulties by saying that in the period mid-January 1991 to late October last year — a period of less than three years — the water supply to that area was interrupted on 76 occasions. In some instances the interruption lasted for up to 19 hours. Even when the supply is restored it takes time for the pressure to build and a considerable length of time to restore supplies to residents living in the upper part of the Kill area. It is not difficult to picture the difficulties caused by this.

Imagine for a moment the situation of a mother with a young family, perhaps an infant and one or two children at school. A family at that stage needs a lot of water every day — they need water for washing, for bathing, for cooking, for cleaning and, indeed, for refreshment. At various stages during a day anybody looking after a family would like to have one or two cups of tea. I ask the Minister to reflect on what the situation would be during the summer time if there is no water supply and people are unable to flush the toilets for up to 19 hours in one day. The problems given rise to are legion and in this day we should not expect anybody to put with interruptions of supply on the scale and with the frequency that have been seen in the Kill and Gurteenoona areas.

In April of last year the Minister for the Environment informed me that contract documents for the work necessary on the scheme were being examined in his Department but he was unable to say when a decision would be made. To get to the point required vigorous representations for several years by Kildare County Council. Unfortunately, so far those representations have not evoked any positive response from the Minister. On 2 November last, that is, four and a half months ago, a deputation from the area met the Minister for the Environment together with myself and the other Deputies for the constituency. The Minister listened to the case and informed us that the Estimates for 1994, were still under examination and that the budget was still in the course of preparation, but he felt he would be able to give us some kind of response within six to eight weeks. Four and a half months later we have still heard nothing from the Minister or from his Department. I call on the Minister of State to tell us not whether but when we will have a decision from the Department of the Environment to make the necessary allocation of funds to Kildare County Council so that the people of this part of Monasterevan can have a reliable water supply.

Further development in the town of Monasterevan, Drogheda Street and the surrounding area, is being hindered and cannot go ahead. Planning permission will not be given because the water supply is not up to the standard quite properly required for any further development in this area. It is unconscionable that people in a town only about 40 miles from Dublin should have to put up with that kind of inconvenience. I would like the Minister of State to tell me now when contract documents will be approved so that the work can go ahead and bring Gurteenoona and Kill back into the 20th century.

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment (Mr. Browne,

Wexford): I would thank Deputy Dukes for raising this matter.

I acknowledge the importance attached to the Monasterevan water supply scheme. The scheme, which is estimated to cost in excess of £1 million, involves the linking of Monasterevan to the regional scheme at Old Kilcullen reservoir, thereby supplying water from the Ballymore Eustace water treatment plant. The scheme, when it comes on stream, will result in a vastly improved water supply to Monasterevan, particularly to the areas of Kill, Gurteenoona, Ballyforsoon and Drogheda Row where low water pressure and disrupted water supplies are frequently experienced. The scheme also provides for the construction of a new service reservoir to replace the present small reservoir at Monasterevan.

Considerable progress is being made in Couny Kildare in the provision of water and sanitary services. The Robertstown sewerage scheme, estimated to cost £1.5 million was the first of the selected schemes to be approved for EU Cohesion Fund assistance. This scheme will eliminate reliance on individual septic tanks by providing a secondary treatment plant, thereby abating pollution of an important waterway, the Grand Canal.

In recent times important water and sewerage infrastructure has been completed in County Kildare, including Leixlip treatment plant extension, Maynooth sewerage scheme southside, Kill Johnstown sewerage scheme, Newbridge sewerage eastside extension and the Lower Liffey Valley sewerage scheme extension to Collinstowns industrial estate.

Investment in water and sanitary services is important both for the economy and the environment. The National Development Plan, of which the Operational Programme for Environmental Services forms a part, is keenly focused on the need to create sustainable employment and provide a stimulus for economic growth. This target is being achieved by providing the necessary infrastructure for the development of industry. The provision of the Lower Liffey Valley sewerage scheme to facilitate the Intel development is an example of the Government's commitment in this area.

However, this scheme is in competition with similar priority schemes on a national basis for financing under the water and sanitary services programme and the future of the scheme cannot be determined until the Operational Programme for Environmental Services, 1994-99, currently underway is finalised.

Until this process has been completed, it will not be possible to indicate those schemes which will get to construction in the next few years.

I will keep the Deputy informed of the position with regard to Monasterevan water supply scheme in this regard.